1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf glove in which a hand can be inserted and extracted very smoothly, and an excellent sense of fitness is produced when a hand is inserted into the glove.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4 shows a pre-cut body of a golf glove which has not yet been sewn, according to the related art. In the figure, 20 denotes a back region which will be used for covering the back of a hand of a golfer, 21 denotes a palm region which will be used for covering the palm of the hand, and 22 denotes a slit which is formed in a lower end portion of the back region 20, and which is laterally expanded when a hand is inserted into the glove body.
As shown in the figure, a cutting direction of the slit 22 in the golf glove according to the related art substantially coincides with the longitudinal axis 23 of the back region 20 of the glove body. Furthermore, the cutting width is approximately constant over a range from a top portion 22A to a bottom portion 22B.
Therefore, such a glove has a disadvantage that, when a hand is inserted into the glove body or extracted therefrom, the slit 22 is not largely expanded contrary to expectation, and hence inserting and extracting operations require a considerably long time. In the golf glove according to the related art, since the slit 22 is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 23 of the back region 20 of the glove body, an engaging tongue piece such as a hook-and-loop fastener or the like which is attached along the peripheral portion of the slit 22 must be pulled up in an obliquely upward direction and then engagingly fastened with another hook-and-loop fastener attached to the back region 20. As a result, a state is produced in which each of the components constituting two portions of the back region that is laterally split by the slit 22, and made of natural leather, synthetic leather, or artificial leather are partially overlapped with each other. In the case where a person wears such a glove, this state causes the wearer to feel a sense of incompatibility, thereby impairing a sense of fitness.
It is an object of the invention to provide a golf glove which can solve the above-discussed disadvantages of a golf glove according to the related art, and in which a hand can be inserted and extracted very smoothly thereinto/therefrom, and an excellent sense of fitness is produced when a hand is inserted into the glove.
The configuration of the invention for attaining the object will be described in detail. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a golf glove comprising:
a back region of a glove body formed a slit, which is laterally expanded when a hand is inserted, at a lower end portion thereof; and
a pair of engaging portions for closing the slit after the hand is inserted, the engaging portions provided at peripheral portions of the slit, respectively,
wherein an imaginary line connecting top and bottom portions of the slit is not parallel to a longitudinal axis of the back region of the glove body;
the top portion of the slit is close to a little-finger portion of the back region;
the bottom portion of the slit is close to an index-finger portion of the back region; and
one of the engaging portions is attached to the back region of the glove body to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided the golf glove according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein a side edge of the back region close to the little-finger portion is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided the golf glove according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein an angle between the imaginary line and the longitudinal axis is in a range of 5xc2x0 to 40xc2x0.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided the golf glove according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the slit has an inverted V-like shape in which a cutting width is gradually increased as advancing from the top portion toward the bottom portion.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided the golf glove according to the fourth aspect of the invention, wherein an angle of the inverted V-like shape is in a range of 3xc2x0 to 30xc2x0.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided the golf glove according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein excess portions in vicinities of root areas of a middle-finger piece, a ring-finger piece, and a little-finger piece among components constituting a palm region of the glove body are previously removed away before sewing.
As described above, in the golf glove of the invention, the imaginary line connecting the top and bottom portions of the slit does not coincide with the longitudinal axis of the back region of the glove body, but is inclined to cause the top portion of the slit to be close to the little-finger portion of the back region, and the bottom portion of the slit to be close to an index-finger portion of the back region. Therefore, a hand can be smoothly inserted and extracted as compared with a golf glove according to the related art. In the case where the slit has an inverted V-like shape in which the cutting width is gradually increased as advancing from the top portion toward the bottom portion, when a hand is to be inserted, the slit is sufficiently laterally expanded, and hence insertion and extraction can be performed very smoothly as compared with a golf glove according to the related art.
Also an engaging tongue piece configured by a hook-and-loop fastener, a VELCRO, or the like which is sewn along the peripheral portion of the slit inclinedly elongates. When the engaging tongue piece is to be engagingly fastened with another hook-and-loop fastener, a VELCRO, or the like attached to the back region in the vicinity of the slit, therefore, each of the components constituting two portions of the back region that is laterally split by the slit can be prevented from being overlapped with each other. Thus, the wrist can be secured moderately to improve a sense of fitness when a person wears the glove.
In the case where, in addition to the configuration in which the slit formed in the back region inclinedly elongates as described above, a configuration in which excess portions in vicinities of root areas of the middle-finger piece, the ring-finger piece, and the little-finger piece among components constituting the palm region of the glove body are previously removed away before sewing is employed, it is possible to obtain an excellent sense of fitness as a whole.